Kent residents are no longer welcome at waste recycling centres operated by Medway Council.

As from June 3, Medway has announced that it will be demanding to see proof of address from all those seeking to use any on its three waste transfer stations - and people who don't live in the Medway Towns will be turned away.

The council said the measure was being introduced in retaliation to changes made by KCC at its tip sites. KCC is charging for the disposal of certain types of non-domestic waste, such as building rubble, soil and plasterboard, and Medway fears that will lead to a surge of KCC residents switching to its tips to avoid the fee.

But the ban has upset many residents in Larkfield and Snodland, who tend to use the Medway tip at Cuxton, and also residents in Lordswood and Walderslade where they tend to use the Medway tip at Shawstead Lane - not to avoid paying charges but because it's closer.

They will now be forced to cart their rubbish right across Maidstone to Tovil.

Lordswood and Walderslade residents fall in the Maidstone parish of Boxley. Boxley Parish council chairman Bob Hinder said: "This has caused shock and dismay. Instead of a journey of a mile, our residents will now have to travel 6.6 miles through the centre of Maidstone.

"At a time when air pollution and sustainability is so high on the national agenda, Medway's decision will just force more vehicles onto the road."

The deputy Mayor of Maidstone Cllr Wendy Hinder said: "This part of the parish already suffers badly from fly-tipping and I can fully understand the concerns of residents that it will only increase as some people will start fly-tipping instead of making the longer journey. It must look like madness to them.”

Snodland resident Samuel Knott said: "No wonder people are fly-tipping and not recycling. It's crazy."

Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council has responded by promising to do as much as it can to ease the problem for its residents. It has arranged with KCC for additional refuse vehicles to be present at a number of its weekend bulky waste collection points in the north of borough.

Council leader Nicolas Heslop has also written to Alan Jarrett and to Paul Carter, the leaders of Medway and Kent County councils respectively, asking them to get together to find a long-term solution. He said he wanted access to the Cuxton site restored for Tonbridge and Malling residents.

Meanwhile Tovil - where at peak periods long queues for the Tovil Waste Transfer Station already choke Burial Ground Lane and Farleigh Hill - is bracing itself for yet more traffic.

The chairman of the Tovil Parish Council, Lloyd Porter, said: "The various councils need to get together to sort this out. The tip causes enough problems as it is."

KCC said the introduction of fees to dispose of non-household waste was because an adjacent London Borough did the same - resulting in London residents using Kent sites.

Cllr Bob Hinder said: "The Walderslade, Lordswood and Blue Bell Hill areas are on the boundary of three local authorities, Maidstone, Tonbridge and Malling and Medway so there will be thousands of homes affected by this decision.

"Surely someone should take a look at the bigger picture as the losers here will be residents and our planet.”

Details of the Tonbridge and Malling bulky waste collections pots are available here.

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